San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1887-02-03
THE WEIGHT OF CHILDREN.
How II Varies iron Day TO Day-Perlods
of Increase and Deere ase.

OF Increase and Deere ase.
Pastor Malling-Hansen, the director
of the royal Deaf and Dumb Asylum in
Copenhagen, has published an interest.
ing pamphlet on "rhe Periodicity Of
the Weight of Children" His observa-
tions, obtained by the daily weighing
of the children under his care, are very
interesting. According to his evidence
the weight of children differs so largely
from day to day that no trustworthy
result can be obtained from weighing
at long intervals. A child may be two
pounds heavier Mt night than In the
morning, and may be one and half
pounds lighter in the morning than the
night before. Eating seems to have
more influence on weight than exercise,
bathing or occupation. The ultimate
increase in weight, corresponding to
increase in growth, does not go on reg
ularly throughout the year. There is
a period of stoppage in the increase OF
weight with corresponding loss from
the beginning of Ma, till past the mid
die of July, in which time the loss Of
weight may exceed double the average
ultimate gain. During August, Sep
tember and October there is a very
steady period of increase in weight,
sometimes rising to five times more
than the average increa @. During the
rest of the year the weight varies from
less to more around the average figure
of increase. During the summer holi-
DAYS the increase in weight is twice the
average, and in Septem er and October
even thrice. Besides the serious period
of loss from May to July, there are Mt
other times frequent sudden s:oppages
in the increase of weight, some
times followed by actual loss. These
hindrances, lasting from six to fourteen
days, are not made up for by extra
periods of increase, and seem to indicate
real damage, SO THAT tie actual increase
of weight seems 10 take pace during
about the fifth pa of tie year, while
the remaining time is occupied with loss
and lis re, lacenclt There is a do
ccled correspondence between Tic vacil-
lation Of temperature an &c onrany-
ing vaciIlat'ols in III, weight OF the
chi d inc neas Of warmth and Of weight
and deere Sc OF warmth and OF weight
90 hand in hard. A decrclsr of two
degrees of warmth ia lha temperature
of the five days Is acc Jmpanicd by q
ninefuld decrease in the weight OF q
ch ld, and three gree; more warmth
by thirte IL TO d III rea7c in weight.
The hindranca and loss OF weight that
accomp my decrease III the warmth OF
the temp ra.urc my go on even after
the temperature has begun 10 rise, a' IL
the loss dependcd on sickness induced
by the cold r Temperature. A year
| that has had most changes of tcmpera-
ture is far more un Law Orlb.e to the n )r-
NAL increase OF weight in = cIlild fa1 n
more steady year, aud II series of such
unfavorable years will for many follow
ing years result in less strong children.
The reason of tie great period OF loss
from May to July, and tic rapid in
crease during the autumn months, do
not seem to depend on the conditions
Of warmth. The increase of weight in
tie children experimental On was al
ways greater during tn, period when
the moon was II ced'ng from the earth,
and less during the period when the
moon was approaching the earth Dur
ing the former period the children in
creased in weight twice as much as dur
ing the latter period. Pastor Mailing
Hansen's inquiries are considered 80
important that the Danish Government
and the "Carlsbergfond' have granted
sums of money for the continuance and
extension of such experiments Chtca-
90 Times.